CV

Short Biography

Elma Riza is a French-Tunisian artist. She studied at the Beaux-Arts de Nantes (2005-2007), then continued her studies at the School of Fine Arts in Berlin to graduate with honors in 2012.
She is a multidisciplinary artist, using video, photography, installation and performance.
Recently she was awarded a grant by the Stiftung Kunstfonds (2022). She exhibits mainly in Germany, France and Tunisia. And has had two solo exhibitions, one in Tunis in 2018 at La Boîte _ Un lieu d’Art contemporain and one in Berlin in 2020 at Galerie Weisser Elefant. She obtained for her video “When a Line goes for a Walk” the female voice award, during the Berlin Minute Festival in September 2022.

Her work is oriented around the notion of landscape. From an ecological, anthropological and poetic point of view.

CV

Elma Riza

French-Tunisian visual artist, born in Lilas (Paris region) in 1986, settled in Berlin since 2007 and works between Berlin and Tunis.

  • Since 2020 she is part of the collectiv Les actionnaires
  • Since 2020 Second studio in the Uckermark (Pian – Fürstenberg/Havel).
  • Since 2019 she has her studio in Kunstquartier Bethanien Berlin (Achtung Studio K43)
  • 2019 -2020 Artist-member of the Frauen Museum Berlin
  • Since 2018 member of the BBK _ Berufsverband bildender Künstler*innen Berlin e.V.
  • Since 2018 she is artist member of La Boîte _ Un lieu d’art contemporain Tunis
  • Since 2015 she is artist member of the gallery asterisk * Berlin
  • 2014-2019 she has set up an experimental platform for interdisciplinary instant composition, “Imprévu Berlin”.
  • 2011-2014 she directed the KOLLEKTIVTRANSIT (Musiktheater & Tanztheater) with Benedikt Bindewald
  • 2007-2010 she created and managed with Olja Koslova the artist group ORT-Berlin & anderswo

STUDIES

  • 2012  Diploma with honors (equivalent to a master) from the Kunsthochschule higher education college in Berlin–KHB
  • 2008 – 2012 Kunsthochschule higher education college in Berlin
  • 2005 – 2007 Beaux-Arts higher education college in Nantes, France
  • 2004 – 2005 Beaux-Arts education college in Rueil Malmaison – Ile de France

EXHIBITIONS / FESTIVALS (selection)

2023

  • SORORES- ECOFEMINIST FESTIVAL Projection / Un lieu pour respirer, 93260 Les Lilas, France
  • Photo exhibition Proceate Project Archive / Ovada, Oxford, United Kingdom
  • Direction of the short film “Trois Femmes” in collaboration with Myriam Riza and Anaïs Production Tunis

2022

  • Group Exhibition “HAK Lab The nominees for the art award of the Haus am Kleistpark 2022 exhibit”, as part of the intervention galerie asterisk * by Christina Stark, Haus am Kleispark Berlin
  • Berlin Minute Festival at Lichtblick Kino Berlin
  • LAB with Les actionnaires in frame of Festival “Vakuum – gegen leeren Straßen”, Europacity Berlin
  • Group exhibition “Figur & Grund” / Video presentation at Kunstverein KunstHaus Potsdam
  • Group exhibition “Movement – Space and Boundaries” with Kuesti Fraun & Irina Novarese in the showcase of the Heinrich Böll Library. An exhibition curated by Vanessa Cardui / Kustraum Fuge part of the Art Spring Festival Berlin
  • LAB with Les actionnaires in frame of the exhibition “Sensing the city” at Zwitschermaschine Berlin

2021

  • „Von innen nach außen – Kunstfilme im Fenster“ / Kap.8 Münster
  • Performative installation “EXTENDED BLUE” with Mireia Argaones & Eric Wong at YOUKALI ganz.kultur Brandenburg
  • “Wandern – Bewegen – Vermessen – Verorten” an exhibition with the Frauen Museum Berlin at the Galerie Alte Brennerei – Kunstverein Ebersberg e.V
  • FRÜHJAHRPUTZMANIFEST, a duo exhibition with Laure Catugier at the ReTramp Gallery Berlin
  • PERFORMANCE ART FESTIVAL  with Les actionnaires  / Event organized by Gemelos2000 – Tempelhof Berlin
  • IMMER WENN ES DUNKEL WIRD, screening video with Les actionnaires at Gmünder Kunstverein, Schwäbisch Gmünd – Germany

2020

  • “How to make a bee-line”, duo exhibition & collaboration with Petra Gell / Galerie Philomena+ Wien
  • “Logique d’Espaces”, solo exhibition / galerie weisser elefant Berlin

2019

  • “Sculptures Filaires” site specific sculptures for the building of KILANI group Tunis
  • “Verschiebung der Räume”, duo exhibition with Aurélie Pertusot / Pavillon am Milchhof Berlin
  • “Tentatives à la Limite _ Yellow!” / BcmA Gallery Berlin / Performance Art Festival #4

2018

  • “Suivez la ligne” / Solo exhibition / La Boîte_un centre d’art contemporain Tunis
  • “Max Artists: 1 room 8 spaces” / Collective exhibition / Max Liebermann Haus Berlin
  • Überraschung #2! / Collective improvised exhibition / Kunstverein Neukölln
  • Les Recombinants / Foire internationale d´Art contemporain de Marseille
  • Species of Spaces – Golden Fragments / Collective exhibition / Luisa Catucci Gallery Berlin

2017

  • On a clear Day ? / Collective exhibition / Kunsthaus Essen
  • Lines_One day exhibition by Elma Riza / Kreuzberg Pavillon, Berlin
  • Draw to perform 3 – Symposium / Crows Nest Gallery, London
  • Perspectives – Raumenrkundung V, solo exhibition “site specific” / Kunstverein Neukölln, Berlin

2015-2016

  • Festival Improvisation Xchange / EDEN-Dock11, Berlin
  • Festival NAH DRAN /ada Studio Berlin
  • SPACE/TIME Festival  / Flutgraben Berlin
  • Festival “Les Spectacles Sauvages” / Le Regard du Cygne, Paris
  • „60 minutes evening“, event organized by Impro Per Arts. / Mime Centrum, Berlin
  • “Between the Lines”, performance exhibition, gallery asterisk * Berlin

RESIDENCIES 

  • 2022 – DiR Residency Brandenburg, Potsdam, Germany
  • 2022 – Dar Hi Nefta, Tunisia
  • 2020 – Philomena+ Wien, Austria
  • 2017 – Kunsthaus Essen, Germany
  • 2016 & 2017 – Nun Art  Barcelona, Spain
  • 2016 – TCRM-Blida Metz, France
  • 2014 – Atelier REAL Lisboa, Portugal

FELLOWSHIP

AWARD

  • Female voice award – Berlin Minute Festival, 2022

PUBLICATIONS

  • Logique d’Espaces, exhibition catalogue, galerie weisser elefant, 2020
  • REFLECTION, brochure exhibition, Milchhof Pavillon, 2020
  • From line to space_Elma Riza 2014-2019, Leaflet, self production, 2019
  • Max Artist in Residence, Project catalogue, Stiftung Brandenburger Tor Berlin, 2017/2018
  • De la ligne à l’espace_Elma Riza 2014-2018, leaflet, self production, 2018
  • Raumerkundung I-V, exhibition catalogue, Kunstverein Neukölln, 2017
  • On a clear Day?, exhibition catalogue, Kunsthaus Essen, 2017
  • Max Artist in Residence, project catalogue, Stiftung Brandenburger Tor Berlin, 2016/2017

VIDEOGRAPHY

  • 2022 “Aïn”, 10min42 // direction, editing
  • 2022 “GRUNDstück” 13min07 // A collaboration with Eva Burghardt and Susanne Soldan
  • 2021 “When a line goes for a walk”, 4min30 // Camera, direction, editing
  • 2021 “FRÜHJAHRPUTZMANIFEST”, 11min46 // A collaboration with Laure Catugier
  • 2020 “La Traversée”, Video, 6min // Camera, direction, editing
  • 2020 “How to make a bee-line”, Video, 9min32 // Camera, direction, editing // Galerie Philomena+, Vienna
  • 2020 “Golden Fragments”, Video, 12min16 // Director, Editor // galerie weisser elefant Berlin
  • 2019 “Vue du ciel”, video installation, 9min35 // // Camera, direction, editing
  • 2015 “Playground”, video, 15min.16 // director, editor // Xchange Festival Berlin
  • 2015 “Between The Lines #5”, video, 13min07 // director, camera, editing // Xchange Festival Berlin
  • 2014 “The Living Library”, experimental fiction, 5min14 / direction, camera, editing // Ponderosa
  • 2014 “L’île Saturne_La chute de Téphras”, music dance advisor film (silent film with live music), Kollektivtransit Berlin, 53min35 // director, camera, editing // Tatwerk Berlin
  • 2012 “Two days before night”, experimental fiction, diploma project, 25min50 // director, camera, editing
  • 2012 “Grüne Stücke”, experimental fiction, 9min10 // director, camera, editing // Tatwerk Berlin
  • 2011 “Once Upon a Time in the Blue East”, experimental fiction, 9min48 // director, camera, editing // 48 Stunden Neukölln
  • 2010 “Des champs vides”, experimental fiction, 2min.59 // director, camera, editing // apartment exhibition Florence, Italy
  • 2009 “Présences”, experimental fiction, 1min03 // director, camera, editing // 48 hours Neukölln
  • 2008 “Further than all similar places”, experimental fiction, 5min37 // Director, Camera, Editing // Gallery La traverse Marseille, France
  • 2010 “Couleurs d’une ville”, experimental fiction, 3min21 // director, camera, editing // 48 Stunden Neukölln
  • 2007 “Aniba_Acte V”, experimental fiction, 3min51 // director, camera, editing // ACUD Gallery Berlin
  • 2006 “Week-End”, experimental fiction, 3min55 // director, editor
  • 2005 “L’Opéra des quat’fous”, experimental fiction, 10min22 // director, camera, editor

WORKSHOPS – LAB (selection)

  • Workshops for children “Labyrinth & Imaginäre Räume” & “Vom Blatt Papier zur Raum_Imaginäre Landschaft” / Young Arts Neukölln / 2020
  • Workshop “Composer dans l’espace” with the employees of the company TERIAK Laboratories Tunisia / 2019
  • Workshop “Initiation to abstraction, composition & Improvisation” with the students of the International Scholl of Düsseldorf / 2019
  • Art workshops for primary schools / Young Arts Neukölln / 2019
  • 2019-2020 Bauhaus RaumLabor / Jugend im Museum e.V. (Workshops in Kitas / Co-project Leitung) / 2019
  • Experiment Raum für Kinder & Eltern / every month in Kunstquartier Bethanien / 2019
  • Workshop “Dessiner dans l’espace” with the employees of the company KILANI Group Tunis / 2018
  • Atelier Lab – “When Visuel Art meet Instant Composition”/ Elma Riza’s Atelier & Kunstquartier Bethanien / 2017-2020
  • Workshop “Performativ Prozess – Space/Object and Body” with the students of the Duisburg-Essen University in Kunsthaus Essen / 2017
  • ZOOM LABOR with Elma Riza – “Performance-Installation” workshops Serie / Mime Centrum Berlin / 2015-17